


Bumping into old friends

by Marsupeler



Series: New-Man Strange [1]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Cute, Cute Peter Parker, De-Aged Peter Parker, Kind Stephen Strange, M/M, Metro-general Hospital, Stephen Strange Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Talk about the past
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-08
Updated: 2018-10-08
Packaged: 2019-07-28 06:22:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16235966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marsupeler/pseuds/Marsupeler
Summary: Stephen is taking Peter out to get a dog, when he bumped into Christine Palmer.





	Bumping into old friends

Stephen walked through the streets of New York for once, instead of just using his portals. It was nice to breath in the fresh air of the outside, even though he could do that in a much less polluted area of the world. He wasn't just taking a stroll fo a stroll's sack, but was on a mission.

"Like, Tony said it was alright? Seriously?" Peter bounced beside him. Stephen had to pull him out of people's ways. "Like, really?"

"Yes, Tony has agreed. I don't see why you're so shocked, I've never seen that man say 'no' to you even once." Stephen snorted. It was a phenomena that even with all his mystic studies, still baffles Strange. Peter can get everyone he meets to do anything he wants. Well, not immediately. Strange had been very un-amused by the child when they first meet, but fell from his immune mantle not before long.

"You must not have been there all the other times I've asked." Peter scuffed his feet, before turning to Stephen. "How did you get him to agree anyway?"

There was a long pause, an ominous pause.

"Let's just say I am not as strictly 'good' person." Stephen said.

"You could say that twice." It wasn't Peter who said this though. It was a woman. Stephen looked around until his eyes meet none other than his ex-girlfriend, Christine Palmer. She was holding a Styrofoam cup of coffee, and Strange could see her scrubs peaking out from under her North-face Jacket. "Long time, no see, Strange. I thought you lived in some third-world country studying... magic?"

"No, I've been... transferred to the New York sanctuary." Strange said, feeling just a tad bit awkward. The last time he saw Christine was when the Ancient One had died. And he's changed a lot since then. More than he's ever thought he would be. "But, yeah, I'm still in the mystic art stuff and keeping balance between the realities."

"Exactly." Peter jumped in, grabbing Strange's hands. Bringing attention to the splints that Tony had made him. They kept his hands from shaking, and alleviated the tension and phantom pains from his muscles. "You're a very busy man, so before some mythical dragon from the nether-force comes and attacks... we need to go to the pound and pick out my dog." Peter mock-pulled on Stephen's arms, because they both knew if Peter wanted to pull Strange away from this conversation, all he needed to do was pull.

"Well, I'm still on break, how about we continue this conversation as we walk?" Christine said to Peter, and off they were moving again, through the crowds of New York. She turned to Strange, studying him with pursed lips and squinted eyes. "Who's the kid?"

"That's Peter. He's my, uh, boyfriend's son." Strange explained. Nether Tony nor he wanted their relationship in the public right now. And if one person even suspected that he was dating THE Tony Stark, it would be in the media by the end of the week. This was also true for Peter, he couldn't have any ties to Tony other than Mentor-Mentee. Which meant Strange did a lot of these 'take Peter out to get...' things, Unless Tony went out in a disguise, or sent someone to cause a media-worthy distraction across town. Something that would be bigger than 'Tony Stark takes Mystery Boy for ice cream and a day at the mall'.

"Boyfriend? I didn't take you as the type. Or the type to take chaperone kids. How old is he?" Christine asked.

"Seven." Strange said, looking at Peter. Every time he said this, his heart twisted. Because Peter Parker was not supposed to look like a child. He was supposed to be graduating High school in three months. The short version of this is, when the infinity stones were blowing up after the Snap was reversed, Peter was just too close when the time stone and soul stone exploded. One moment he was fine, the next he was the size of a five year old. That was two years ago. "So how's Metro-General?"

"Oh, well, Nick took the title of best surgeon once you vanished. He's as arrogant as ever. Marcy is getting married to a lawyer next October. Let's see, Blake has another kid, and Jefferson is fucking Miranda. That's the key-notes of Metro-General." Chris shrugged. "Oh, and Breckenridge is retiring in three months and hasn't set up a replacement for the next Chief of Medicine."

"Ah." Strange nodded. And they talked some more, idol chit-chat that became less awkward and more 'we're different people now, but that's ok'. Strange still kept one eye on Peter, pulling him back from tripping into people. And soon the conversation turned into dogs. Peter seemed to like Chris, though there was still that disdain. A clear declaration of 'Stephen is Tony's boyfriend now, and I won't allow you to pull any of the shits' to Chris, if she caught on to it or not.

"Well, I should get going, my break is almost up." Chris said, breaking off their conversation about whether or not having a boyfriend is hard. Chris says it is, but Strange says it's easier than having a girlfriend. "We should do this again, catch up, I mean. Maybe swing by the hospital, freak people out with this new-man Stephen you got going on."

"You just saying that because no one will believe you." Strange rolled his eyes.

"If you bring Peter, they'll be shitting themselves. I could make bets!" Her eyes gleamed with sedation.

"That right there is why boyfriends are better than girlfriends. Head my words Peter, woman are dangerous beasts." Strange laughed, turning to Peter, but no seeing him. A small panic started to curl up in Stephen. Even though he knew that Peter wasn't a clueless child, he still looked like one, and there were some disgusting and cruel people out in the world. Luckily, Peter had just been waiting for him two stores down, which just so happened to be their destination.

"Well, good bye, Strange. See you later." Chris waved and vanished into the crowd of people.

"Sometimes I forget that you were a doctor-doctor." Peter said when Stephen walks up to him. He looks at Strange with those sad-old eyes that no child, seven or seventeen, should wear. "Would you still like Tony, if you never became a wizard? If you had stayed a doctor?" The 'and me' was loud in the sentence. Stephen looked at Peter, he took a deep breath.

"No, I don't think I would have. And I would have been a lesser man than I am today. I was a lesser man than I am today." Stephen brought Peter into a hug, something he would have never even considered, or would have turned his nose up at the thought back then. He may still be snide, and sarcastic, but he was no longer heartless. And if the price for this life he has now was his hands and his profession, then it was a small price. "Now, let's get you that dog."

**Author's Note:**

> Next part of the series will be how Nick West reacts to this New-Man Strange... Because I haven't actually seen one done before.


End file.
